1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an outdoor unit for an air conditioner, which is designed to prevent condensed water from forming on a heat exchanger.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a separated-type air conditioner includes an indoor unit installed inside a building and an outdoor unit installed outside a building, in which the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are connected to each other via refrigerant piping. The indoor unit usually includes an indoor heat exchanger to generate coldness by heat exchange, and a circulating fan to circulate air in a room. The outdoor unit includes a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a blower fan to cool the outdoor heat exchanger by blowing outdoor air.
When the air conditioner is operated in a heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger included in the outdoor unit is maintained in a cooled condition. Accordingly, condensed water is formed on a surface of the outdoor heat exchanger, and the condensed water flows downward. To discharge the condensed water, a bottom plate of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is provided with a drain hole.
In the outdoor unit of the conventional air conditioner, since a lower end of the outdoor heat exchanger is supported on a bottom plate of a cabinet of the outdoor unit, it is difficult to discharge the condensed water present between the lower end of the outdoor heat exchanger and the bottom plate of the cabinet, thus freezing of the condensed water occurs. Accordingly, ice expands upward from the lower end of the heat exchanger and becomes progressively larger, thus lowering heat-exchange efficiency.
Furthermore, since the conventional outdoor unit for an air conditioner is constructed such that a bottom plate of a cabinet thereof is usually made of metal, coldness from an outdoor heat exchanger is transmitted to the bottom plate of a cabinet in a heating operation, thus promoting freezing of the condensed water.